How to cut and trim a cat’s claws correctly: preparation and practical advice

Any experienced cat or cat owner knows that nail trimming is one of the essential components of raising a pet. Many owners of furry pets believe that trimming their claws is not necessary. This opinion is partly true if the animal lives in a private house and often walks in the yard, moves a lot, crawls through trees and has the opportunity to sharpen its claws in every possible way in a natural way.

However, if you live in an apartment, then your pet most likely does not have this option. Domestic cats move less, and from the possible ways to sharpen their claws, only upholstered furniture, rugs or carpets can be distinguished. Of course, this method is ineffective, in addition, interior items unsuitable for this may suffer. That’s why Should you trim your nails regularly? to your pet. Is it possible to cut the nails of a kitten at home?

Why is it necessary to trim a cat’s nails?

The regrown claws of the cat begin to exfoliate, the pet can accidentally scratch their owners with them, cling to carpets and spoil upholstered furniture. To prevent this, you need to know how to properly trim your pet’s nails. it the job does not require specific skillsso you can easily cut your hair at home. However, trimming the cat’s nails is necessary according to some rules. From this article you will learn:

• how to properly trim your pet’s nails;
• nail clipping sequence.

Preparing for nail clipping

To properly and painlessly trim your pet’s nails, you must have the following:

• special cutters;
• nail file;
• alcohol for processing tools;
• if necessary, a treat to calm the animal;
• hydrogen peroxide and cotton wool in case you accidentally injure your pet.

In order to properly and without harm trim the nails of your pet, whether it be a kitten or an adult cat, you need to stock up on a special device. It is quite difficult to work with ordinary scissors, it is better purchase special pliers for this purpose in the veterinary department. They are called guillotine and will help you quickly and easily cut the claws of the animal. In addition to nippers, you can get a nail file in order to be able to sharpen the sharp edges of the claws.

Immediately before the haircut, you must thoroughly wash your hands and treat all nail trimming tools with alcohol. Pick up your pet, stroke and soothe. It is not necessary to carry out a haircut if the cat is not set up for the procedure, has played out or something is bothering him.

Nail clipping process

If you are worried about the question “Will the kitten experience discomfort during the haircut?”, Calm down – if everything is done correctly, your pet will not feel anything. In the process of cutting, it is necessary to carefully monitor that the nerve endings and blood vessels of the animal are not affected. In order not to harm the cat, you should not cut the nails too short, since the vessels are located at their base. If a cat has transparent claws that do not have pigmentation, you can easily understand how long they can be trimmed – by darkening closer to the base of the claw.

If the claws of the animal are dark, it will be difficult to understand how long the vessels are located. In this case, you can simply cut off the excess regrown part of the claw.

It is necessary to carry out a haircut in a calm environment, turning off all electrical appliances that make a loud sound. Also don’t yell at the cat in the process of trimming the nails, loud sounds can frighten the animal and in the future all haircuts will take place with even greater difficulty.

If you have a calm pet, you can handle it easily and quickly. However, most cats do not tolerate grooming claws – they break out and scratch. In such a situation, it is better to ask someone to help you. Let the assistant hold the animal and its paw, and you carefully trim its claws. Subsequently, the animal can get used to such a procedure and will endure it much more calmly.

After everything went well be sure to praise your pet, stroke and caress her – after all, cutting nails, especially the first one, is stressful for the animal. You can please a cat with a treat, a haircut should be associated with a cat with something pleasant, not painful.

If a misfire did occur and you accidentally injured the base of the nail, do not worry. As a rule, in this case, blood should bleed from the wound, treat it with hydrogen peroxide. The claw will still bleed for a while, but the bleeding should stop fairly quickly.

Trim your kitten’s nails regularly, about a couple of times a month. Although the frequency of procedures can be reduced by buying him a special device – a scratching post. Thanks to it, you will save all valuable interior items, and your pet will thus satisfy the natural need.

If you still can’t cut your kitten’s nails, you can contact a veterinary clinic. An experienced specialist will clearly show how to cut the cat’s claws so as not to harm the animal.

We hope our article on how to cut a cat’s claws could help.